Are women turning to cannabis to relieve menopause symptoms?

A survey offers insight into cannabis and CBD use among midlife women.

Hot flashes and sleep or mood changes are well-known, annoying symptoms that can occur during perimenopause and menopause. Now, a survey suggests that nearly 80% of midlife women use cannabis to relieve certain symptoms such as mood problems and sleep problems.

In recent years, more and more US states have legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use. This wave of acceptance comes with skepticism in some circles about FDA-approved treatment options for menopause, including hormone therapy. But a lack of long-term research data on cannabis use has led a Harvard expert to question how safe it might be, even as he acknowledges its likely effectiveness for certain menopausal symptoms.

“Every year more and more patients tell me that they have tried cannabis or CBD (cannabidiol, an active ingredient in cannabis), particularly for insomnia or anxiety,” says Dr. Heather Hirsch, director of the Menopause and Midlife Clinic at Harvard. affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. "Adding to its appeal is that cannabis is now legal in so many places and works acutely for a few hours. You don't need a doctor's prescription. Socially, it may be easier to justify than using a drug. But why is there a move toward something that has unknown long-term effects, more than something that has been studied and proven safe?" she asks.

Survey reports on who uses cannabis, why and how

The new Harvard-led survey, published in the journalmenopause, examined cannabis use patterns among 131 women in perimenopause — the often years-long period before a period stops — along with 127 women who had gone through menopause. Participants were recruited through online postings on social media websites and an online recruitment platform. According to income reports, almost all respondents were white and most were middle class.

The vast majority (86%) were current cannabis users. Participants were divided on whether they used cannabis for medical reasons, recreational purposes, or both. Nearly 79% said it would help ease menopause symptoms. Of these, 67% said cannabis helped with sleep problems, while 46% said it improved mood and anxiety.

Perimenopausal women reported worse menopausal symptoms than their postmenopausal peers, as well as greater cannabis use to treat their symptoms. More than 84% of participants reported smoking cannabis, while 78% used marijuana edibles and nearly 53% used vaping oils.

A glaring limitation of the analysis is the self-selected group of participants, which lacked diversity and could distort the results. But Dr. Hirsch was not surprised by the high proportion reporting regular cannabis use. “I wouldn’t be surprised if these numbers reflected the broader population,” she says.

How might cannabis help with menopause symptoms?

It makes sense that women in midlife reported that cannabis improved anxiety, mood and sleep, says Dr. Deer. The drug likely helps all of these symptoms by “blacking out the prefrontal cortex, the decision-making part of our brain.”

For many women, anxiety increases during perimenopause, she notes. Common stressors during this time, such as aging parents or an emptying nest, increase the effects of immersion hormones. “It's this feeling of 'I can't turn off my brain.' It's really unsettling because they go to bed and can't fall asleep, so the next day they're more tired, moody and moody," she explains. Dimming the prefrontal cortex allows people to calm down.

Hot flashes, often cited as the most common symptom of menopause, did not improve as much with cannabis use, according to survey participants. That also makes sense, says Dr. Hirsch because it is believed that the hypothalamus - the brain region considered the body's thermostat - is not significantly affected by the drug.

No research yet on long-term effects

Given the lack of clinical trials that objectively test the effectiveness and safety of cannabis for treating menopausal symptoms, more research is clearly needed.

"If people find relief from cannabis, great. But is it safe? We think so, but we don't know," she says. "There are no studies of middle-aged women who used cannabis for 10 years, the length of time menopause symptoms often last. Will there be long-term effects on memory? On lung function? We don't know."